Vietnamese fresh fruits currently appear solely in limited quantities across select high-end supermarkets, Asian food stores, or specialized importers serving foreign expatriate communities in Istanbul and Ankara.

In the structure of agricultural trade between Vietnam and Türkiye, commodity items such as cashew nuts, coffee, pepper, cinnamon, and several processed products have established a relatively solid foothold in the market. However, regarding the fresh fruit group, Vietnam's export turnover to Türkiye currently remains very modest and disproportionate to the potential of both nations.

While Vietnam's fruit and vegetable sector maintains high growth momentum, with export turnover reaching 2.67 billion USD in the first 5 months of 2026—up 16% compared to the same period last year—Türkiye has not yet become a significant import market for Vietnamese fresh fruit.

The market for Vietnamese fresh fruit is virtually unestablished. According to international trade data, Türkiye's import value from Vietnam regarding the fresh fruit group (excluding cashew nuts) stands extremely small. The majority of HS Code 08 turnover between the two nations remains concentrated on cashew nuts, whereas the import value of other fresh fruits such as pineapples, avocados, mangoes, dragon fruit, fresh coconuts, or tropical fruits occupies a very low proportion.

Through market surveys by the Vietnam Trade Office in Türkiye, Vietnamese fresh fruits currently appear merely in limited quantities across select high-end supermarkets, Asian food stores, or specialized importers serving foreign expatriate communities in Istanbul and Ankara. Products have not been widely distributed within modern retail systems or major wholesale markets.

Multiple causes contribute to Vietnamese fresh fruit not yet developing strongly in Türkiye:

Frist, Türkiye is a nation with a developed agricultural sector and self-sufficiency capacity for numerous temperate and subtropical fruits. It stands as one of the world's major producers of grapes, apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, pomegranates, figs, oranges, mandarins, lemons, hazelnuts, and various other fruits. Abundant domestic supply results in import demand for fresh fruit being far less pronounced than in East Asian or Middle Eastern markets.

Second, the substantial geographical distance between Vietnam and Türkiye significantly elevates logistics costs and transport durations. For commodities with short shelf lives like mangoes, dragon fruit, rambutans, or longans, maintaining product quality following a long transit journey presents a major challenge.

Third, Türkiye applies stringent regulations regarding phytosanitary quarantine, plant protection chemical residue limits, food safety, and origin traceability. Numerous fresh fruit varieties must also undergo pest risk assessments prior to receiving commercial import authorization.

Besides, Vietnam and Türkiye have not concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA); therefore, many fresh fruits remain subject to import tariffs under MFN schedules alongside quarantine, testing, and customs clearance costs, diminishing competitive capacity relative to supply sources possessing geographical advantages or trade preferences.

Although current export scales remain small, the Vietnam Trade Office in Türkiye evaluates that several of Vietnam's tropical fruits still possess growth potential in this market.

Notable among these are fresh coconuts, dragon fruit, mangoes, pomelos, passion fruit, frozen durian, frozen cut fruits, and IQF quick-frozen products. These represent items where Türkiye lacks production advantages or maintains very limited domestic output.

Particularly, alongside the development of the tourism industry, hotel and restaurant networks, coffee chains, and healthy food consumption trends, demand for tropical fruits is gradually climbing across major urban centers such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Antalya.

In recent years, Turkish consumers demonstrate growing interest in naturally sourced foods, vitamin-rich fruits, organic products, health-beneficial foodstuffs, and products with transparent origins.

Concurrently, the steadily increasing foreign population residing in Türkiye alongside international tourist arrivals also contributes to expanding demand for tropical fruit varieties. Major supermarket chains such as Migros, CarrefourSA, and Metro Türkiye have begun retailing various high-end imported fruits, establishing a foundation to expand product portfolios in the future.

To expand fresh fruit exports to Türkiye, Vietnamese enterprises need to concentrate on several core issues:

First, satisfy all Turkish regulations regarding phytosanitary quarantine, food safety, origin traceability, and plant protection chemical residue limits.

Second, invest heavily in post-harvest technology, including cold treatment, preservation, packaging, and logistics to guarantee product quality after long transit durations.

Third, build brand identity for Vietnamese fruit instead of exporting purely as raw bulk commodities.

Fourth, prioritize partnering with specialized importers of high-end foods, modern supermarket chains, and distribution systems serving the hotel-restaurant-catering (HORECA) sector, which possess the capability to accept higher price points for quality products.

Currently, Vietnamese fresh fruit stands at an initial penetration phase in the Turkish market; export scales remain small and do not yet reflect the full potential of Vietnam's fruit and vegetable sector. However, given healthy consumption trends, rising demand for tropical fruit, and Türkiye's strategic role as a transit hub connecting to the Middle East, Balkans, North Africa, and Central Asia, this market retains ample room for exploitation in the medium and long term.

Capitalizing on these opportunities demands coordinated efforts between regulatory agencies and enterprises to accelerate negotiations opening markets for Vietnam's advantageous fresh fruits, while bolstering trade promotion, connecting importers, retail chains, and Turkish logistics enterprises. Concurrently, enterprises must proactively elevate technical compliance capacity, invest in post-harvest preservation technology, and build brands to enhance competitive standing. Executing these solutions synchronously will allow Türkiye to serve not only as a potential consumption market, but also as a gateway bringing Vietnamese fresh fruit into neighboring regional markets in the coming years.

Source: He thong Phat trien thi truong nuoc ngoai